Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Suspiciously Sad

Put yourself in the situation ... you have a bodyguard and person charged with protecting you.  The person also is in charge of tasting your food, because poisoning was a preferred way of assassination.  The person you have trusted with this responsibility has always been upbeat and happy.  And today, the person is sad, downcast.  What would your reaction be?

This is precisely the scenario in Nehemiah, Chapter 2.  Nehemiah is the king's cupbearer.  He is a trusted companion, charged with tasting the king's wine and making sure the king is not poisoned.  When King Artaxerxes sees the sadness on Nehemiah's face, he is understandably concerned!  "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick?  This is nothing but sorrow of heart (Nehemiah 2:2)." In this case, the king is a lot like mama ... when the king isn't happy, no one is happy!  Nehemiah "became dreadfully afraid."  A life or death discussion ensues.

In Chapter 1, Nehemiah has prayed for favor before the king.  Nehemiah knows this is a dangerous encounter.  If the king believes something is off-putting, he can (at a whim) have Nehemiah put to death.  He could have him thrown in jail and questioned about why he feels sad.  Lots of bad things can happen.

There are so many things we can learn from this little story!  But here are a few "be's" I hope can teach us forward!

1. Our attitude about our work and our service is more evident than we think sometimes.  So ... be sure. Be sure that the things troubling us are worth the emotional energy we are investing.  I had a friend, no longer close and off doing his own thing, that invested emotional energy in things that didn't matter.  He would get angry about politics, as if we could really change them.  He would let what people said rule his life.  He was blown by every wind that came along.  He spent his energy chasing (as Solomon said) "after the wind."  Don't be that guy!

2.  Our attitude affects others, even when we don't know it.  So we must be careful that we don't lead others astray.   The NBA Nets were supposed to be a "dream team" that would take the NBA by storm this year.  Enter Kyrie Irving.  Kyrie is known, due to several stays with other teams, as a self-focused, bad teammate.  I know the old song says, "One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch."  But the Nets lost in the 1st round of the playoffs, and many attribute the loss to the negative influence of Kyrie.  In the case of Nehemiah, his countenance could have cost him way more than a lost game ... the word says, "He became dreadfully afraid." Don't be that guy!

3. You might ask, "How do I deal with things that "tweak" me and get me all in a twist?  Nehemiah has an answer for that too!  Be honest! Let's recall how Nehemiah comes into this situation.  He spends his "upset" time grieving for Jerusalem, because he is upset that the city walls are in disrepair.  He then steps back from the situation and prays to the God of the universe, asking God for favor when he goes in to see the king.  And when the king asks, "Why is your face sad?" Nehemiah answers honestly with a well-thought-out response.  Truth, expressing that truth with conviction and making sure he was not manipulative were all parts of Nehemiah's successful response.  DO be that guy!

We can do so much when we share our honest concerns, after we examine whether they are worth our investment of energy.  Then, share honestly, not out of sadness or emotion, but out of conviction for doing what is right.  That is how we, the Church, handle issues that are difficult and/or stressful.

On Facebook today, I was looking at a picture of our universe.  The observable part of that universe is 23 million light years, but it is estimated (by mathematical calculations) that it is 23 trillion light years in size.  In the Facebook picture, there is a little arrow pointing to earth and it says, "this is me, complaining about the style of worship on Sunday."  When I see me in the middle of a universe of 23 trillion light years, and I read Isaiah 40:22 "He stretches out the heavens like a canopy and spreads them out like a tent to live in," it gives me perspective!  We sang it Sunday ... "Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above, with wisdom, power and love, our God is an awesome God!"  Lord ... Thank You for seeing and caring, giving Your wisdom, and showing Your love!  AMEN 


Monday, April 18, 2022

Return

Have you ever really messed something up, and felt the intense guilt and shame for what you have done?  Then, have you been redeemed, restored and renewed?  The first feels bad and hurts all the way to your heart.  The second is one of the most wonderful experiences ever.

I wonder if we, in our distracted, divided and diverted way, have some of these feelings about our relationship with God.  On one hand, we are tired and feel like we are doing all we can.  Then, when we reflect on our faith journey, we realize we have not been the Christians and followers we should be.  I, for one, have this conviction.  What about you?

In Nehemiah's day, Israel was lethargic, apathetic and fearful, as they neglected the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem.  Walls were a sense of pride, safety and security in Nehemiah's day.  In 445BC Nehemiah, with great opposition from inside and outside his people, supervised the restoration of the wall around the city.  It was about 4,000 meters long, 12 meters high, and 2.5 meters thick.  Nehemiah is upset that the people had ignored the wall for half a decade, and he prays to God for 1) forgiveness, 2) patience and, 3) help in doing their duty to protect Jerusalem.  He remembers what God said to Moses ... "return to me and practice My commandments. Then, even if your exiles have been banished from the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen for a dwelling for My name!"

What a promise!  It is an if, then statement.

1. If we return to God and practice His commandments - God didn't move then and God hasn't moved now.  It is our job to both return and practice what God has told us.
2. Then, God will provide some amazing blessings - a. God will gather His people, b. God will gather even those who have been "banished" to the farthest horizon, c. God will bring the people to the place God has chosen as a dwelling for His name.

Here are some questions as we (over the weeks from now to Pentecost) examine the process of "return."

1. What does "return" mean?
2. What are some ways we can "return" in our church-context?
3. Do we actually believe that Abbeville United Methodist Church is a place God has chosen as a dwelling for His name?
4. If the answer to 3 is "yes," how can we make it right for God's glory?
5. Can we become like the people of Nehemiah's day that resisted persecution and restored the wall in 52 days.

The story of Nehemiah is true.  The challenge to us is to both know and practice God's word and plan.  And it will be up to God to give us strength, resources and energy to get the task(s) accomplished.  I am all in ... how about you?  Randy

Monday, April 11, 2022

Rolled Back

What did God roll back that 1st Easter morning?  Hosea said, "You have fallen through your iniquities!  Come back to the Lord! (14:1)."  Paul said (Romans 3:23), "We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."  So what happened that morning?

Jesus, by His action and example, gave us some great lessons for life, and some great gifts that came at the price of His life, death and resurrection.  The first action is both actual and symbolic.  God rolled away the stone.  Actual power is demonstrated in Matthew 28:2, "an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and rolled away the stone."  It is not so impressive that a rock is rolled away ... but it is wonderful, amazing and powerful that the Father sends an angel down to roll away what Matthew calls "a large stone.  But, and I love this, the symbol here is that God rolls away the barriers between us and eternal life.  Death was placed in the tomb.  But when the stone rolls away, life enters the tomb.  Jesus breathes, lives and continues His life for His people, which will be completed upon His return.  We say, every Sunday, "The third day he rose again from the dead, He ascended to heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead."  God rolls away the power of death! Do you believe it?

Before Jesus leaves the tomb, He taught us another lesson ... the lesson of faith, peace and trust in the midst of an event that changed the world.  In the midst of being raised from the dead, being released from a tomb and being sent back out into the world that caused His death, Jesus is calm, patient and assured.  God's word describes His funeral cloth (that was wrapped around Jesus' head)  as being "wrapped together in a place by itself."  Not randomly thrown over to the side.  Not wadded up in a pile of other things.  Laid aside and neatly wrapped in a calculated and unhurried manner.  I would have been running out of that tomb, and it would have never seen my face again ... only the soles of my shoes and my back!  Jesus folds the napkin, and is walking in the garden when Mary Magdalene (John 20:15) sees him and is in shocked awe and joy.  Jesus rolls away our panic, our peacelessness and our lack of faith. Do you accept it?

Jesus also rolls away our binding to this world.  We, truly, are a people chained and bound ... even Christians!  This Sunday we will celebrate Easter.  We will meet at 7am at 1st Baptist, and we will share the resurrection with our brothers and sisters in Abbeville, as we say, "He is risen ... He is risen indeed!."  We will then go to our respective congregations, fill the pews (9am and 11am here at Abbeville UMC) and fill our hearts and eyes with the Easter story.  It will be beautiful, I hope!  But then, many will return to old habits ... old church attendance patterns ... old avocations ... old worries ... old prejudices.  You get the point ... we will return to the muck and rat-race of life we call "normal."  All of this will happen as Jesus says (He shouts it on Easter) "Return to me!"  Return to a new heart ... a right Spirit ... a new life ... to peace ... to faith ... to corporate worship when the church doors are open!  Jesus is saying, "I want to roll away the iniquity of your time!" Will you claim it?

So ... here is my ending question.  Will we let Him?  Will we let Jesus roll away the power death has over our lives?  Will we accept the wonderful gift that rolls away our inability to grasp peace and trust and faith?  Will we allow God to roll away our iniquity that tells us the lies of our time?  That we can be part-time worshippers.  That we can belong to Jesus without being in unity with brothers/sisters that are different than us.  That we can make time for events (concerts, pageants, graduations, recreation) but place corporate worship on the back burner.  There is a beautiful verse of prophecy (usually forgotten) from the Book of Hosea (6:1-2) that says it like this ... "Come, let us return to the Lord.  For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us.  He has wounded us but He will bind up our wounds.  After two days He will revive us.  On the third day, He will raise us up that we may live in His presence!"  Accept God's gift!  Perceive God's miracle!  Return!  AMEN

Sunday, April 3, 2022

The Power of Music

On April 10th (at Abbeville UMC) we will all be blessed by the wonderful gift of music presented by our choir, our musicians, the writers of the songs, and all of the other moving parts that comprise a worship service.  Come at 10 AM for this blessing and stay with us for a pot luck lunch (bring a dish if you can).  But I will make an observation about music I hope expresses my love and passion for this great gift of God.  I think the best thing about true Christian music is ... it is led, inspired and ordained by the Holy Spirit.

In 1739 the song Christ the Lord is Risen Today was written by Charles Wesley.  It was the first year of his conversion.  It had its debut at the Wesleyan Chapel in London, known as the Foundry Meeting House.  The parent song of Wesley's version was actually written in the 14th century and had 11 stanzas.  While the tune was different and the words had some different lines, the hymn has been sung for 283 years and has been a fixture at Easter services in all Christian traditions.

When you come Sunday, say a prayer of thanksgiving for our dedicated people who have worked to bring us beautiful music.  Give praise to God for His gift of music, and express your gratitude to the Holy Spirit for gracing us with words like Wesley's ageless hymn:

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia, Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia, Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia, Sing ye heavens and earth reply, Alleluia.

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia, Where O death, is now thy sting, Alleluia, Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia, Where thy victory, O grave,  Alleluia.

Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia, Fought the fight the battle won, Alleluia, Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia, Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia.

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia, Following our exalted head, Alleluia, Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia, Ours the cross the grave the skies, Alleluia.

Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia, Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia, Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia, Hail the resurrection Thou, Alleluia.

King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia, Everlasting life is this, Alleluia, Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia, Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for teaching us to sing what we believe.  It is both beautiful and important.  For Christ is life, and He is the truth, the life and the way!  AMEN